Press Releases

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality will host a public hearing at 6 p.m. Aug. 22 to obtain community feedback on a draft wastewater permit and draft special order by consent for Duke Energy’s Asheville Steam Electric Plant. The draft wastewater permit is a modification to the plant’s existing permit, while the special order by consent was requested by the company to address issues related to coal ash basin seeps at the facility.

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality will host a public information session on Thursday, August 30, 2018. The session will include updates on the state’s ongoing activities related to the GenX investigation that originated at Chemours’ Fayetteville Works facility. 

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC, has announced its intent to develop an environmental impact statement and the opening of a public comment period for the Mountain Valley Pipeline Southgate project. These actions are part of the federally mandated scoping process which will help the agency determine whether the project is in the public convenience and a necessity, and what the environmental impacts would be along the pipeline route.    

The state Secretaries’ Science Advisory Board will meet in Raleigh on Monday to discuss the board’s GenX report and trichloroethylene vapor intrusion and action levels, among other topics. The meeting will also include a presentation on hexavalent chromium from Health Canada, the Canadian government agency which oversees national public health programs, research and initiatives. The full agenda is available online at: https://files.nc.gov/ncdeq/GenX/SAB/SAB-Agenda-082018.pdf.

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality is inviting public feedback on the state’s proposed coal combustion residuals rules, which provide the regulatory framework for safe disposal, storage and reuse of coal ash waste.

Officials with the N.C. Division of Water Resources continue to urge the public to avoid contact with green or blue water in the Chowan River due to an ongoing algal bloom that has lingered in the area since June 20.

The N.C. Division of Water Resources is seeking public feedback on a proposed reclassification of Enka Lake, a portion of Bill Moore Creek in Buncombe County (French Broad River Basin).  The Biltmore Lake Association has requested that Enka Lake be reclassified from Class C to Class B.

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality was notified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of their denial of the Lower Cape Fear River (LCFR) supplemental classification as swamp waters. The original effort to push to reclassify the river was driven by the previous administration, approved by the EMC in 2015, and eventually submitted to the EPA earlier this year.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Air Quality (DAQ) is taking comprehensive action on the use of methyl bromide in log fumigation operations. A review of current and proposed facilities, including the Malec Brothers Transport operation in Columbus County, made clear the need for specific state regulations for methyl bromide use.

The State Water Infrastructure Authority has approved $100.4 million in loans and grants that will help North Carolina local governments pay for 34 drinking water and wastewater projects.